What is Swag Bucks?

ETA: As of 2/25/10, Swag Bucks has multiplied everything by 10. So everything below is still correct, but now, for example, it costs 450 SBs for an Amazon card, but you will also be awarded SBs in increments of 10. In that way, nothing has changed, but The Swag Guy has promised future changes that will help you earn more Swag Bucks faster. Keep an eye on the Swag Bucks blog and Facebook page for upcoming changes.

So, obviously I haven't had a lot of time to update this blog with information about coupons and saving. But I had to use Taylor's naptime today to post an entry answering the question that I've been repeatedly answering to friends and family: What is Swag Bucks?

You can get all of this information on the Swag Bucks site, but it can be overwhelming at first, so I'll try to explain what you need to know to make Swag Bucks work for you. Swag Bucks is a search-and-earn program that is totally free to join. There are several easy ways to earn Swag Bucks (SBs), which you can then redeem for prizes or gift cards. My favorite prize is the $5 Amazon gift card, which costs 45 SBs. I have already redeemed for six of them, and I have enough in my account to get six more. That's $60 to spend at Amazon.com, and I only joined Swag Bucks on 12/14/09!

Ways to earn Swag Bucks:

Search the web--Use the Swag Bucks search engine for all of your online searching, and occasionally you'll get a Swag Buck! You could get a higher SB denomination from a search, but 1 SB is the most common. This is totally random, so there is no magic word to search for; you are encouraged to search naturally, and you will often hit several times a day. My advice is to stop using your favorites links and history links--instead, do "Swag Searches" for the sites you visit often. Every search is one more chance to earn Swag Bucks, and you can then just follow the correct link from your search results.

Enter bonus codes--Usually once a day (though that is not guaranteed), there will be a bonus code worth at least 1 SB. You can enter the code on the Swag Bucks home page to earn your Swag Buck(s). But the codes come out at random times and are often valid only for an hour or two, so you have to be lucky and quick. Joining the Swag Bucks fan page on Facebook is a good way to keep up on when the codes come out. I also recommend downloading the "Swidget" from the Swag Bucks home page; you can check the Swidget anytime to see if there is an active Swag Code and get a clue to its location. The code could be on Facebook, Twitter, the Swag Bucks blog, a partner website, the Swag Bucks toolbar (also recommended for easy access to all things Swag!), or anywhere, really!

Complete Special Offers--There are tons of special offers you can do to earn extra SBs, including free trials, surveys, newsletter sign-ups, and much more. Some of the Special Offers require a purchase, but some do not. Special Offers are not for everybody, and you do not need to complete a single offer if you don't want to.

Shop Online--This works the same way as Upromise and other similar programs; shop through the Shop & Earn store links, and earn 1 SB for every $5 you spend at any of the many partner stores. Obviously, you shouldn't shop online JUST to earn Swag Bucks, but if you're going to by something anyway, why not earn some SBs?

Trade in old cellphones, MP3 players, video games and consoles--I have never done this myself, but you can learn more about it on the Swag Bucks home page.

Refer your friends--If you decide to join Swag Bucks, I'd be grateful if you would sign up using my referral link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/amandapig . If you try it out and you love Swag Bucks as much as I do, give your own referral link to everyone you know (one account per household)! Every time one of your referrals wins a Swag Buck (from searching only, not bonus codes, etc.), so do you, up to 100 SBs per referral! This is a huge bonus for you and can add up very quickly. So email your link around, post it on your social networking pages, blogs, message boards (if allowed) or anywhere else that you have an online presence.

A few final tips/reminders:

Use the search engine naturally
Download the toolbar
Download the Swidget
Sign up for the e-newsletter (arrives once a month and includes a bonus code)
Become a fan of Swag Bucks on Facebook
Follow Swag Bucks on Twitter
Get referrals!

Good luck, have fun, and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me or post a comment here. Thanks for checking this out--I hope it helps!